Self-extinguishing cigarette



May 28, 1963 R Q GU|DA 3,091,243

SELF-EXTINGUISHING CIGARETTE Filed Jan. 11, 1961 Fla INVENTOR.

FRANK G. GUIDA KW DMM m United States Patent 3,091,243SELF-EXTINGUISHING CIGARETTE Frank C. Guida, 144 Harryel St.,Pittsfield, Mass. Filed Jan. 11, 1961, Ser. No. 82,108 1 Claim. (Cl.1314) This invention relates generally to cigarettes and moreparticularly to a cigarette which is equipped with a device whichextinguishes the flame at a pre-determined point on the body of thecigarette.

It has been known that lit cigarettes or cigars carelessly discarded orleft in an ash tray are one of the major reasons for accidental fires inthe home and other areas causing tragedies that could be avoided. Anadditional problem concerned with cigarettes and cigars is the disposingof the same after they are finished or the preservation of an unfinishedcigarette.

The invention herein disclosed has as its principal object the provisionof an improved useful and inexpensive cigarette or cigar containing afire extinguishing apparatus or device.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cigarette or cigarwhich can be extinguished with the hand without burning the hand andwhich can then be placed in the pocket of a user without ashes becomingstrewn all over the pocket.

A further object of this invention is to provide a cigarette or cigarwhich can be easily and cleanly extinguished so that it can be usedlater.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a cigarette orcigar which will give the user the benefit of having smoke enter hismouth which is cooler than is usual in cigarettes or cigars.

This invention is described here in terms of a cigarette, however, theinventive concept can be applied to cigars as well.

A self-extinguishing cigarette embodying the invention and the manner ofusing the same is described herein with references to the drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a self-extinguishing cigarette constructed inaccordance with the teaching of this invention with the cylindricalextinguishing device shown in full lines in one position and in phantomin another position longitudinally of the cigarette;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the cylindrical extinguishing device shown onthe cigarette in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end view of an alternate form of an extinguishing device;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a partially used cigarette, the flame of whichhas been extinguished by an alternate form of extinguishing device shownthereon; and

FIG. 5 is a side view of a cigarette utilizing this invention to haveits flame extinguished by a user so that the cigarette can be usedlater.

It is noted that the invention herein is described in terms of acigarette for purposes of illustration only and the invention mayreadily be adapted by one skilled in the art to a cigar or other deviceof that type. In FIG. 1 a cigarette constructed in accordance with theteachings of this invention is shown. The cigarette consists of aportion which is normal to cigarettes and is indicated in the figuregenerally by the numeral 10. Cigarette portion is a cylindrical hollowformed of paper commonly used for this purpose covering the surface of asolid cylinder formed of smoking tobacco. This construction is commonand is the construction utilized today in the majority of cigarettesconstructed without additional paper filters. A hollow aluminum foiltubing 11 is shown about a portion of the periphery of the cigarette.The internal diameter of tube 11 is such that the tube snugly embracesthe portion of cigarette 10 about which it is placed and ice allows thetube 11, which has a longitudinal dimension a fraction of thelongitudinal dimension of cigarette 10, to be able to slide upon thecigarette longitudinally. In FIG. 1 tube 11 is shown in heavy lines atone end of cigarette 19, whereas a tube indicated by the numeral 12 isshown in phantom at another portion of the cigarette. In FIG. 2 an endview of tube 11 is shown and in FIG. 3 an end view of an alternate formof tube is shown wherein the foil or metallic portion indicated in FIG.3 by the numeral 13 is surrounded by a cork portion 14 so that the usercan use cork portion 14 between his or her lips when the cigarette isbeing smoked.

The invention provides the use of the hollow aluminum foil tubing and/or the like at the outside diameter of the cigarette with or without acork covering. The extruded tubing is able to slide upon the cigaretteor cigar at any desired length of cigarette or cigar, thus choking thelit end of the cigarette or cigar when the aluminum foiling is slid overthe fire and/ or when the fire reaches the sleeving the same will apply,thereby extinguishing the lit cigarette or cigar automatically thusinitiating a safety system.

This system also provides a neatly reusable cigarette or cigar .forconservative purposes after being butted. As is shown in FIG. 5 thetubing therein which has been placed about cigarette 10 is indicated bythe numeral 15. The tubing has been crimped at one end 15 about theflame end portion of cigarette 10. In the crimping action the heat ofthe fire will not aifect the fingers of the user and the flame will bereadily extinguished and if there are any ashes on the end of thecigarette they will be enclosed within crimped tubing 15. Thus it isprovided that the user of this invention can in a neat manner extinguishthe flame of a cigarette and place the cigarette in his pocket in a safemanner so that it can be used later.

The sleeving used herein will not melt and will maintain form stabilityat all temperatures to which the aluminum will be subjected. Thesleeving is not toxic when heat is applied. This tubing, which performsa function of extinguishing a flame, is flame-resistant itself and willnot burn.

An alternate form of the invention is shown in FIG. 4 wherein a plastichollow extruded tubing 16 is used at one end of the cigarette 10. Theplastic tubing 16 is encapsulated in an aluminum foil on the insidediameter and on the outside diameter. This extruded tubing whosediameter may be reduced longitudinally to a predetermined size upon theapplication of heat from the lit end of the cigarette is fabricated froman irradiated, thermally stabilized, flame-resistant, modifiedpolyolefin compound. An example of such a compound is manufactured bythe Raychern Corporation of California and sold under the trade nameThermofit tubing. The tubing in its expanded form is applied to thecigarette and later when the flame heats the tubing the tubing contractsto the condition shown in FIG. 4 wherein the reduced diameter portion16' is shown causing a choking effect upon the light of the cigarettethereby extinguishing the same.

With each of the embodiments disclosed herein the smoke reaching thelips of the user is cooler than the smoke reaching the lips of the userwithout the use of the external extinguishing tubings disclosed herein.The reason 4501 this is that each of the tubings disclosed herein has asa secondary efiect the ability to carry the heat from the smoke and intothe surrounding atmosphere in a superior manner than does the papercovering the tobacco alone. The tubing disclosed herein in each instancehas the ability .to conduct the heat in such a manner that a greateramount of the heat from the smoke is given off to the atmosphere thanwould normally be the 'case. This results from the fact that each of thetubings has a coeflicient of heat conductance greater than thecoefiicient of heat conductance of the air which is essentially asubstance which resists the conductance of heat. a

Thus, among others, the several objects in the inven tion,.asspecifically aforenoted, are achieved. Obviously, numerous changes inconstruction and rearrangement of parts might be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention as defined by the claim.

I claim:

A sel-feextinguishing cigarette comprising a cylindrical roll of smokingtobacco, a cylindrical paper covering for said tobacco, a hollow tubeformed of a polyolefin compound which has been expanded, said tube beingslidably disposed about the periphery of said paper and snuglyencompassing the same, said tube being enclosed by aluminum foil on theinside and outside surfaces thereof, whereby upon a burning portion ofsaid cylindrical roll encountering said expanded tube said expanded tubewill contract about the burning portion and extinguish said burningportion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS KnappApr. 20, 1926 Levy Jan. 4, 1938 Levey May 23, 1939 Strauch Sept; 5, 1939Williams Mar. 5, 1940 Seney June 24, 1941 Atterbury Ian. 2, 1951 LattofJan. 19, 1954 Statia July 17, 1956 Gore Dec. 23, 1958 Redford Jan. 20,1959 Lehv Dec. 20, 1960 Parlour Apr. 11, 1961, Hultkrans Jan. 16, 1962FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Aug. 14, 1931 Germany May 3, 1932 Great BritainDec. 10, 1958

